Pagans In College

Hey guys, how are y'all doing. Well like I said the other day, I'm gonna be trying really hard to get back into a regular posting schedule. I don't think I'm gonna be posting almost every day like I was, but I do think I might start posting on certain days. I will defenitely be posting on Wednesday and Friday so check back then for updates. I might include Tuesdays and Sunday to that list, which would mean four posts a week and that sounds pretty good to me. What do ya'll think? I also want to ask y'all to send me emails with any topics or ideas that y'all might want me to talk about. I am open to any suggestions.

Well yesterday was my first day back to school. It went pretty well, I only had two classes: World History and Ancient Philosophy. Since it was the first day we really didn't get into any topics, we just covered the basic outlines for the course and basic "house-keeping" stuff.

What was interesting for me though was my philosophy class. Though we didn't jump right into the course material, my professor did give us a little lecture about what we would be learning in class this semster. One of the things she said we are going to be focusing on is the struggle between pagan and anglo religious belief systems.


I was excited to hear her say this because it isn't something that most professor choose to discuss. Even the intro to religion course focuses purely on the three biggies: Islam, Judaism, and of course Christianity. People don't talk about paganism in general academia because it is considered taboo or inconcequential. To actually be in a class where paganism is a major focus will not only be refreshing but enlightening. It will be interesting to hear the other students' perspectives on this topic, especially since there is a guy in the class that is a super devot Christian.

It just got me thinking about the need for a bigger emphasis on alternative religions in acedemia. It's like my lit professor said this morning, "A four year university is meant to foster intellectualism. This means the ability to confront new ideas and topics and not just learn about them, but learn from them." How can we foster intellectualism if a good portion of the spiritual and philosophical world is ignored? How can people make intellegent and informed decisions about life, ethics, and spirituality if they are never challenged about what they believe? One thing I have learned from my previous philosophy classes is that you can not really choose a belief system or a school of thought if you have never been challenged by an opposing set of ideas. Confronting opposition and engaging in debate with those of alternative beliefs helps to salidify your reasons for choosing your belief system. If you do not go through this process, you are simply a automoton, a midless robot going throught the motions of life and basing your decisions on what others have programed onto your harddrive.

I think all pagans and wytches need to focus on this need. I know the last point in the wytches pyramid states, "To be silent," but I think the time for silence is past. How will paganism ever be acknowledged as a legitamite belief system if we refuse to speak out. I think it is our time to be heard and to create a place for ourselves in acedemia alongside the biggies of the Western world.